Network based KVM switching system

Abstract

A keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) switching protocol is disclosed in which KVM information is applied to a network of workstations. At least one data converter communicates on the workstation network and retrieves KVM information from the workstation network that is addressed to a server assigned to the converter. The converter places the KVM information in a format suitable to the assigned server and applies the converted KVM information to the appropriate standard device ports of the server. The system provides motherboard access to the servers that is characteristics of KVM switches but provides essentially unlimited scalability not known in traditional KVM switches.

1. A converter for communicating workstation and video data between (1) a workstation having an associated unique workstation Internet Protocol (IP) address and a workstation network port communicating with a common IP network using the unique workstation IP address and (2) one server of a plurality of servers, each server having its own unique server IP address and unique server network port providing communication with each other server across the common IP network, the converter for the one server comprising:
 a network interface facility having an associated unique converter IP address and a converter IP network port communicatively coupling the converter via the unique converter IP address to the common IP network and thereby to the workstation network port via the unique workstation IP address, the network interface facility receiving the workstation data from the workstation via the common IP network in a packet-switched format; 
 a conversion facility to accept the workstation data from the workstation in the packet-switched format and to convert the workstation data to a native server format; 
 a communication channel isolated from the common IP network and communicatively coupling the converter to the one server, said communication channel coupling the workstation data in the native server format between the converter and an input port of the server off of the common IP network, wherein: 
 the conversion facility further to accept the video data from the server via the communication channel in a native video format and converting the video data to a packet-switched format; 
 the network interface facility further receiving the video data in the packet-switched format from the conversion facility and transmitting the video data in the racket-switched format to the workstation via the common IP network using the unique workstation IP address. 
 
   
   
     2. The converter of  claim 1 , wherein the workstation data is keyboard data or cursor control data. 
   
   
     3. The converter of  claim 1 , wherein the native server format is a server keyboard or mouse format. 
   
   
     4. A method of communicating data between a workstation and one server of a plurality of servers, the plurality of servers communicating with each other and the workstation across a server network, the method comprising:
 transmitting the data from a first network address as packeted keyboard or cursor control data from the workstation across the server network with a designated second network address as a destination; 
 receiving the keyboard or cursor control data from the packet switched network at a device other than the server, the device being associated with the second network address; 
 connecting the device associated with the second network address to the one server via a channel independent of the server network, the one server having an associated third network address; the first, second and third network addresses being unique to each other; 
 converting the keyboard or cursor control data into a format suitable for transmission to a keyboard port or a cursor control port of the server; 
 transmitting the keyboard or cursor control data into the keyboard port or cursor control port of the server via the channel independent of the server network; 
 receiving video data from a video port of the server at the device via the channel independent of the server network; 
 transmitting the video data from the second network address as packeted video data across the server network with the first network address as a designated destination; and 
 receiving the video data from the packet switched network at the workstation associated with the first network address. 
 
   
   
     5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the server network is an Internet Protocol network. 
   
   
     6. The method according to  claim 4  wherein the device is physically co-located with the server. 
   
   
     7. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the native server format is a server keyboard and mouse format.